


The Only One My Arms Will Ever Hold

by EvensDramaticShenanigans



Series: Spierfeld Week [5]
Category: Love Simon (2018), Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Dancing, Declarations Of Love, Ensemble - Freeform, F/M, Homecoming Dance, Love Confessions, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Gestures, School Dances, Slow Dancing, Soft Boys, Spierfeld Week, homecoming asks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 10:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14306736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvensDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/EvensDramaticShenanigans
Summary: “Well, so, I know that we usually skip homecoming and hang out at Waffle House instead. And I know that’s what we’ve done every year,” Simon says, glancing over at Leah to see if her facial features have changed at all. So far her face is still plastered with the same stoic, questioning expression. Simon barrels on. “But I was kind of thinking that maybe this year we could, I don’t know, maybe not skip homecoming?” He suggests.Or, the one in which Simon asks Bram to homecoming





	The Only One My Arms Will Ever Hold

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh! This was something I started working on way before I decided to do Spierfeld week, but then I saw today’s prompt and was like woah, it could fit for that! And I just decided to go for it! This was inspired by someone’s headcanon on tumblr, I’m sorry I can’t remember who rip but whoever you are thank you for writing that headcanon that inspired this fic lol. I thought it was the cutest thing and I just had to go with it and write something for it. In the beginning this was just going to be Simon coming up with the idea and asking, but I got a bit carried away (especially when I saw a picture of [Nick Robinson](https://www.thefashionisto.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Nick-Robinson-The-Hollywood-Reporter-2015-Photo-Shoot-Suit.jpg), aka the loml, wearing a blue suit and I just. I couldn’t not write Simon wearing a blue suit skfgdklg)
> 
> Anyways, the title comes from the song [Blue Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a7wPKHLoCE) originally by Frank Sinatra (but this is my favorite version of it). I wanted to use song lyrics from Time After Time as the title buuuut I didn’t think any of the lyrics fit well as a title lol.
> 
>  
> 
> I really hope you all like this one!! Enjoy!

When Simon arrives at their usual lunch table he’s met with Abby and Leah deep in conversation about homecoming— well, Abby is rattling on about it, in great detail too, and Leah is just kind of listening and nodding along, interjecting here and there with a snarky comment or two that Abby just kind of awkwardly laughs at before continuing on. 

Simon drops his lunch tray onto the table and slides into the seat next to Leah, who immediately turns to greet him— most likely an attempt to try and escape Abby’s homecoming talk. Any other time Simon would indulge Leah and try to steer the conversation away from homecoming and towards something more Leah’s speed, but this time Simon actually wants to join in on the conversation. After all, he wants to gauge their reaction about a few certain things. 

“Actually,” Simon starts, picking up his fork and poking at the pile of macaroni and cheese on his plate. “There was a homecoming thing I wanted to talk to you guys about.”

“A homecoming thing?” Leah repeats, almost incredulously. Her brows pull together in confusion as she eyes Simon questioningly.

And Simon knows what she’s thinking. What could he possibly want to discuss about  _ homecoming _ of all things? Their group hasn’t gone to a single homecoming in their three years at Creekwood High, and as far as they were concerned, skipping their senior year homecoming was a given. 

“Ooh, what’s up Simon?” Abby asks eagerly, her eyes wide with curiosity. She leans forward onto her elbow, resting her chin in her palm.

“Well, so, I know that we usually skip homecoming and hang out at Waffle House instead. And I know that’s what we’ve done every year,” Simon says, glancing over at Leah to see if her facial features have changed at all. So far her face is still plastered with the same stoic, questioning expression. Simon barrels on. “But I was kind of thinking that maybe this year we could, I don’t know, maybe not skip homecoming?” He suggests.

Simon pauses, waiting for an immediate denial or some sort of argument from Leah. Instead, her expression turns into a more thoughtful one. She doesn’t look angry or ready to bicker, and she even glances to her right and catches Abby’s eye. 

“I mean, it’s out last homecoming” Simon continues on, though from the shit-eating grin that’s growing on Abby’s face and the way the corners of Leah’s lips are starting to subtly quirk up, he knows they aren’t buying this shit for one second. “And I don’t know, I think we should get to experience it at least once, right? So we don’t end up regretting it later in life.”

“You better have a damn good explanation for this,” Leah responds, though her tone is playful and teasing, not harsh and bitter. She crosses her arms over her chest, trying to come across as stern, though she’s failing. 

“Yeah, Simon,” Abby joins in, tipping her head to the side, “pray tell— why the sudden change in attitude about homecoming?” she asks not-so-slyly, blinking knowingly up at him.

“I was on the phone with Alice the other day and she was telling me how much she regrets not going to homecoming when she was here,” Simon answers weakly, giving a small shrug. “I just don’t want us to end up like her, y’know? Regretting not living high school to the fullest and all.”

Abby just flashes Simon an  _ I see through all your bullshit _ look and points her finger right at him. “You want to ask Bram, don’t you?” She asks. And damn, she’s jumping straight to the point. Okay.

Simon can’t help the blush that spreads across his cheeks, but he nods anyways, ducking his head a little bit. “I want to ask Bram, yes,” he confirms.

When he looks back up he notices that Leah’s smiling warmly at him, and when he makes eye contact with Abby she lets out a little squeal and grips onto Leah’s arm excitedly. “Oh my god, Simon,  _ yes _ ! You  _ have to _ ask him!”

Simon looks back towards Leah. He knew Abby was going to be all for the idea— after all, the only thing stopping her from going to homecoming was the fact that the rest of their group didn’t want to. Simon knows that she would love to go, especially now that she’s actually with Nick. But with Leah, he isn’t really sure. What with everyone being paired off and all, he knows that she would probably feel left out by that— something she detested. Although, Simon remembers a conversation he had with Bram about that one time he thought Bram was into Leah. They’d laughed about it a bit and Bram had told him that it was kind of funny because Garrett was the one that was madly into Leah— not him. Simon has no doubt in his mind that Garrett would be all over the idea of asking Leah to homecoming. 

“What do you think about that, Leah?” Simon asks carefully.

Leah lets the small smile that’s gracing her face grow until its stretching across her cheeks. It’s not an expression Simon hasn’t seen on Leah before, but it certainly isn’t one he’s seen regarding homecoming. Not that he’s complaining of course. Seeing Leah smiling and happy always makes him happy in turn. 

“I try very hard to be as cynical as possible, Si, you know that,” Leah jokes. “But you make it so damn impossible when you sit here looking that mushy and cute and in love.” 

Leah sighs softly and then her demeanor shifts. It’s minute enough that someone who hasn’t known her as long as Simon has probably wouldn’t pick up on it, but of course, Simon does. Her smile isn’t reaching her eyes anymore, and Simon can tell that there’s something about the situation that’s nagging at her brain. “I guess it can’t be all that bad,” she says. She looks like she has more to say, and knowing Leah, she’ll say it. “You and Bram. Abby and Nick. It’ll be really cute. When we take group photos I can be the awkward fifth wheel right in the middle— the lonesome centerpiece bringing you all together. I love it,” Leah fake enthused.

Abby drops an arm around Leah’s shoulders, pulling her into her side a bit. “Lighten up, Leah. I’m sure you’ll get asked,” she reassures, though Leah doesn’t look very convinced.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t speak so soon, Leah. I think the real question here is whether you’ll say yes— not whether you’ll be asked,” Simon chimes in, shrugging casually and shooting off a nonchalant look.

“Do you know something? What are you not telling me?” Leah asks right away, peering curiously between Simon and Abby, who share a secretive glance. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Abby brushes off, aimlessly waving a hand through the air.

Leah frowns, but before she can ask any further questions, Abby sits up straighter in her seat, her face lighting up as she looks towards Simon. 

“Si, oh my god, we have to start thinking of ways you could ask Bram!” Abby gushes. “You could take him out to dinner!”

“Or you could ask him with a fortune cookie,” Leah suggests. “Like put the question on a slip of paper inside.”

“Ooh! No wait— you could do it at one of the soccer games! Make a cute poster and everything— oh my god you could wear his jersey to the game too!” 

“Oh, that's really cute,” Leah says, and Abby reaches over to high five her.

Simon laughs softly and shakes his head. “Those ideas are all great, but I kind of already had something in mind.” 

“ _ Simon _ !” Abby squeals, bouncing in her seat. “Tell us!” 

“Come on, Si, you can't leave us hanging,” Leah adds.

And Simon probably would have told them right then and there. But of course, Nick, Garrett, and Bram himself choose that moment to finally join them.

Bram slips into the spot next to Simon and leans over to quickly peck his cheek in greeting. Simon preens into the gesture, a happy smile on his lips. 

“This conversation is not over, Spier,” Abby says firmly.

“What conversation?” Nick asks, glancing between the two of them.

“Nothing you have to worry about, babe,” Abby reassures, patting Nick’s chest.

“Anything  _ I _ have to worry about?” Bram pries, sending Simon a curious look before flashing his teeth in a cute smile. 

Simon shakes his head and leans into Bram’s side. His hand finds Bram’s under the table and he laces their fingers together, giving a soft squeeze. “No, nothing to worry about.”

 

A few weeks later the conversation is brought up again, only this time it’s in the living room of the Suso residence with piles of crafts supplies, a few huge posters, and a shit ton of glitter surrounding them. 

Simon just finished telling Abby and Leah the idea he had come up with and almost immediately they’d started gushing about what a wonderful idea it was. 

“It’s not too, I don't know, cheesy?” Simon asks, dropping his gaze down to the giant white poster board on the floor in front of him. It’s still blank, but he’s got a marker in his hand.

“Si, it's perfect,” Leah reassures, reaching out to touch his arm. “It’s so you two, Bram’s going to love it.”

“Yeah, it’s so sweet,” Abby tacks on. 

Simon smiles back at them. “Thanks guys,” he says. “Should… should I make it look like an email?” He asks almost shyly. “Or is  _ that _ too cheesy now?” 

Abby leans her head onto Leah’s shoulder and presses her hands over her heart. Leah tilts hers so that it's resting against Abby’s, a soft expression spreading across her face.

“That's adorable,” Abby affirms. “Going back to your roots.” She nods her head fervently at that. 

“Okay, okay. Cool. Got it,” Simon pronounces. He uncaps the marker and leans over the poster board before starting to draw what looks exactly like what a Gmail message would look like. He doesn't even need to pull out his phone and bring up his Gmail app for reference— he’s got it memorized from how often he’d looked at it last year. (Not to mention, he and Bram still sometimes use their accounts to message.)

Once the general outline of the email is done Simon pauses to examine his work. Abby and Leah lean over his shoulder to take a look as well.

“Woah, that looks amazing, Si,” Leah says.

“It really does,” Abby agrees, squeezing Simon’s shoulder. “And the message is so adorable, it's going to be the cutest homecoming ask in the history of homecoming asks.”

“You have to let us take pictures when it happens so we can put them on creeksecrets,” Leah raves. She grins at Simon and he just rolls his eyes on response. 

“Obsessed!” He replies simply, shaking his head at her.

“That wasn't a no!” Leah retorts smartly.

Instead of answering, Simon goes back to his poster. He poises the marker above the paper in the space where the text of the emails belongs and carefully starts to write. He finishes the first word before he sets the marker down so he could pick up the blue one— of course. 

He can feel Leah and Abby’s eyes on him and his eyes flicker up only to see the two of them quickly turn their attention back towards Abby’s poster.

“Don't you have your own poster to be working on?” Simon asks, sending a smirk in Abby's direction.

She decided the other day that she wants to be the one to ask Nick to homecoming rather than the other way around. In addition, she also decided to go with the idea of asking Nick at one of his soccer matches. Abby had been the one to suggest they get together and work on their posters together. She told Simon and Leah that she needed their input on whether or not Nick would like her poster since they knew him best. And, of course, she wanted to help Simon with his poster for Bram.

“You know, I know you keep watching me. I can feel your eyes on me. Just be patient and I promise you can see the whole thing when I’m finished.”

Abby holds her hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright,” she concedes and turns back to her own poster.

Leah just grins at Simon and then joins Abby, picking up a tube of glitter and some glue. 

It doesn't take Simon much longer to finish up his poster. The email format looks great, if he does say so himself, and he’s pretty damn proud of how the actual message itself turned out too. 

“What do you think?” Simon asks, lifting the poster and spinning it around so Abby and Leah can see. 

“Oh my god, Simon!” Abby cries out. “That seriously looks so good!”

“That's so cute, Si. You did a really great job with it!” Leah adds, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she looks from the poster towards Simon. 

“Thanks,” Simon responds and carefully sets the poster back on the floor. Then he drops himself back to the ground and stretches his legs out in front of him, leaning back onto his hands. “So, I know  _ how _ I’m going to ask Bram, but I don't know when or where I should do it,” he says. “Any ideas?”

A pensive look crosses Leah’s face and she actually puts her thumb and forefinger against her chin. 

“Well, do you want it to be something kind of big or on the more low-key side of things?” Abby asks, looking up from where she’s stroking a paintbrush across the poster.

Simon pauses for a moment. Honestly, the idea of doing something big doesn't scare him as much as he thought it would, but he's not sure how much Bram would like that. Though, Bram  _ did _ buy him a t-shirt and hook it to his locker to reveal his identity, and he didn't seem like he was going to shy away from meeting Simon at the ferris wheel either. Maybe he’d like a grand gesture. Not to mention, Simon thinks that he and Bram deserve to be just as sickeningly cute and in love as any other couple at Creekwood.

“Actually, I think something kind of big would be nice?” Simon finally replies.

“Oh, I’ve got it!” Abby exclaims all of the sudden, setting her paintbrush down so she could excitedly turn towards Simon. “What if you did it after one of the shows? You’re up onstage already, you know Bram will be in the audience because one, he never misses a single show you're in, and two, he’s required to be there anyways,” she rattles on. “Oh, and I can definitely put some of that eyeliner you wore for  _ Oliver! _ on! He  _ loved _ that.”

Simon blushes as he thinks back on that day at lunch that Bram nearly lost his shit when Simon showed up with his stage makeup still on. Looking back on it, he feels kind of stupid for not seeing that Bram was totally into him. He wasn't subtle about it at all— certainly not that day when he could barely tear his eyes off of Simon. 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Simon responds. 

“The first show for the juniors and seniors is on Monday. Oh my god, that's so soon!” Leah exclaims.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is,” Simon laughs, blowing out a breath. “Damn, wow.” He runs a hand through his hair and bites down on his lip as he looks down at his poster again.

“Oh my god, I’m so excited for this, Simon,” Abby gushes, picking her paintbrush back up so she can continue what she was doing before.

Simon nods and he can't help the smile that folds across his face. “I’m pretty freaking excited too,” he admits.

“Hey, Abby,” Leah chimes in. “Let’s see your poster so far.” She raises her eyebrows at Abby and grins when Abby lights up.

Abby leans back from the poster and turns it a bit so Leah and Simon can see. The words take up most of the page, a simple yet cute: “Nick, can I ‘score’ a date to homecoming?” Then, in the corner Abby had Leah draw a pretty realistic looking soccer ball flying into the a goal. There’s grass below the soccer ball, half finished since that's what Abby is working on now. It’s pretty freaking cute, Simon has to admit. 

“That’s great, Abby,” Simon says sincerely. “Nick’s going to love the pun,” he laughs.

Abby sends him a grin and a wink. “That’s exactly the goal, Spier,” she responds happily. 

“Oh my god, did you just—” Leah snorts and shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous,” she teases.

“Oh, but you love me, Leak Burke,” Abby responds, leaning over to curl her arms around Leah's shoulders and pull her into a side hug.

Leah pretends to fight it at first but eventually gives in and returns the hug. “I do,” she confirms. “Nick’s going to love your poster too, Abby,” Leah adds.

Abby grins and squeezes Leah one more time before she lets her go. “I hope so!” 

“Alright guys, enough of this sappy shit,” Abby suddenly announces. “Who wants pizza?” 

 

When Monday rolls around, Simon is nervous to say the least. The entire morning he feels like he’s going to buzz right out of his skin. Thankfully he can just blame it on the fact that they have their first performance of  _ Cabaret _ if anyone asks, but it’s really because once that performance ends he’s going to ask Bram— right there onstage in front of the entire junior and senior classes.

Simon loves these kinds of days— the ones where the drama club gets to put on their shows for the students of Creekwood High. For one, it gets him out of most of his classes for the day— which is always a plus— and two, he loves that he gets to see his friends sitting out in the audience as much as they can. And though they try, they can’t always make it to the shows that happen outside of class, so it’s nice that they have a chance to see it regardless.

Backstage is chaotic, as usual. Simon finds Abby easily enough, and she’s already got the eyeliner pencil in hand.

“I was just looking for you,” Abby announces. She grabs onto Simon’s arm and leads him over to a chair, pushing him down into it. “You know the drill,” she says, and Simon settles back in the chair and tips his chin towards her, giving her full control over his face and eye makeup. 

It doesn’t take long for Abby to finish tracing the eyeliner onto the top and bottom of his eyes, and once she finishes she caps the pencil and pats Simon’s leg. “All done. You look smoking hot, as always,” she says and winks at Simon, who just shakes his head and rolls his eyes fondly. “Break a leg out there, Si, and good luck with Bram afterwards,” she adds, flashing Simon two thumbs up and a bright grin. 

It’s then that Ms. Albright calls for everyone to gather around for a brief pre-show pep talk and then the house lights are dimming and everyone is rushing to get into place before the curtain rises.

 

The second the final line is delivered the audience bursts into roaring applause and the curtain comes swooping down. The entire cast scrambles off of the stage and then starts to line up in the correct order for the curtain call. 

Simon is usually in one of the first groupings that heads out since his role is a minor one, but somehow the entire drama club is in on his plan to ask Bram (he blames Abby)— though they don’t know the exact details. But because they know about it, they’ve all decided that Simon should be the last one to return to the stage.

Abby’s at his side in a second and she’s already picking at the tape that’s holding the microphone to her cheek and pulling the headset off completely. Then she reaches up and hooks it around Simon’s ear. “I don’t think we need to tape it down. It should be fine like this,” she says.

Taylor Metternich suddenly sidles up to them with a grin on her face, and it takes Simon a second to realize that she’s gone and grabbed his poster for him from where he’d set it down in the dressing room. “Thanks,” Simon says as he takes it from her.

“Break a leg, Simon,” Taylor says, reaching out to touch his arm briefly.

Simon sends her a smile in return, but he can tell from the way her expression shifts into something softer that it’s a weak one. 

It’s not as though he thinks Bram is going to say no— because he  _ knows _ Bram isn’t— but there’s still that teeny tiny insecure bit of his brain that keeps whispering  _ but what if he does?  _ What if Simon stands up in front of all those people, asks Bram, and he does? 

Then Taylor leans in a little bit closer, her glossed lips pulling into a sweet smile. “I can see the cogs turning in your head,” she says. “He’s totally going to say yes to you, Simon. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Her words are kind and reassuring, and Simon is incredibly grateful for the reminder. He definitely needed to hear that.

“Alright, Si,” Abby says, reaching out to grab his hand and give it an encouraging squeeze. “I’m up so I’ve got to get out there. But you’ve got this, it’s going to go great!” Then Abby’s flouncing off towards the stage for her curtain call, leaving Simon to wait for his own.

When it’s finally his turn, he sucks in a deep breath, tightens his grip on the poster, and heads out onto the stage.

As soon as he steps onto the stage he hears Nick and Garrett let out these loud, whooping cheers and he can’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. He spots them immediately, standing near the end of the aisle a few rows back. Simon’s eyes fall onto Bram, who’s sandwiched between Nick and Garrett and has his hands cupped around his mouth as he cheers along. Simon instantly feels a calm energy settle over him and he suddenly can’t remember why he was so nervous in the first place. 

He sees Abby send him a double thumbs up from the side of the stage where she and Taylor are watching, and Simon flashes a small one back in response before turning towards the crowd.

“Hey Creekwood,” he starts, and the cheers and applause start to quiet down. “So, I’m kind of hijacking the play a bit here, but this is pretty important and I figured this was a good place to do it.” Simon chuckles quietly and shifts on his feet. “As most of you probably know, last year was kind of… well, really freaking crazy. Like, it was just all over the place. Some parts of it were great,” he looks towards his friends, catching Leah’s eye in the audience. “And other parts were, uh, not so great, to put it lightly.” Simon doesn’t even bother looking towards Martin who’s standing up on stage somewhere to his right. “But, regardless of how good or bad it was, in the end, it was pretty freaking great. Because it led me to meeting the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” he says, and his eyes immediately fly towards Bram. Nick and Garrett and nudging Bram and he’s got this huge smile on his face already. Simon isn’t close enough to see, but he knows Bram is probably blushing. 

And suddenly, Simon wants to be closer to him. He wants to be able to see that blush and see the exact way Bram reacts when he shows him the sign and asks him the question. So Simon starts walking towards the stairs that lead off the stage, and he takes them two at a time until he’s making his way down the aisle towards Bram.

“None of this probably ever would have happened without creeksecrets— and oh my god, I can’t believe I just shouted out the Tumblr, but I guess I do kind of owe it a big thanks,” Simon trails off with a laugh. He finally reaches the row that Bram’s in and he watches as Nick and Garrett shove at Bram a little, encouraging him to meet Simon in the aisle. 

Simon bites down on his lip as he watches Bram squeeze past Nick, and then he’s standing right in front of Simon. Just as Simon expects, there’s already a pretty blush across Bram’s cheeks, but his lips are curved into an incredibly infectious smile. 

“I kind of owe you a big thanks too, Bram,” Simon continues, and Bram lifts an eyebrow. “Yeah, if you hadn’t made that first post, the one that started this all, we might not be here today. With every single word you wrote me, you filled me with so much bravery and inspiration and I can never thank you enough for that. I haven’t deleted any of those emails and I probably never will,” he admits, grinning. “I do have one more very important email to send to you though,” Simon says, and this is it. He’s going to do it. 

“Bram,” Simon starts, and he can’t stop the smile from slowly taking over his entire face as he holds up the poster he worked so hard on. He watches as Bram’s eyes dart down to the poster to take in the way it looks exactly like the emails they shared all that time ago. Bram’s lips part open, a surprised little gasp slipping past them as he reads the words, “Will  _ blue _ go with me to homecoming? Love, Jacques.”

“Oh my god, Simon,” Bram whispers, his eyes wide and slightly wet as he looks back up at Simon.

“So, what do you say? Will  _ blue _ go to homecoming with me?” 

The whole auditorium goes silent as everyone waits with bated breath for Bram’s answer. Bram himself is quiet for a second, too, as he looks at Simon, just taking him in. His eyes are soft and Simon can tell he’s trying — and absolutely failing — to control the smile that’s pulling at his lips. He gives up trying to stop it and it stretches across his entire face, and then he’s nodding. “Yes,” he says, and that single word is so full of happiness and  _ love _ . “Oh my god, yes, Simon,” he repeats. 

And then everyone bursts into cheers and applause that’s even louder than what the play got. It gets even louder, though, when Bram takes a step towards Simon, cups his face in his hands, and kisses Simon right then and there in front of the entire junior and senior classes.

It’s toe-curling and heart-warming and Simon kisses back immediately, the poster slipping from his hands as he brings one up to cup the back of Bram’s head and the other to hold onto one of his wrists. His smile is making it a little bit hard to properly kiss Bram, but he can’t help it. His heart just feels so full and he’s never felt happier. 

  
  


“Okay,” Simon calls from where he’s perched at the top of the stairs. His mom and dad and Nora are eagerly, impatiently waiting below, and Simon knows that his mom has her camera in hand, ready to snap about a million photos. She was insanely bummed when Simon had told her that he was going to pick up Bram and that he wasn't bringing him back home just so she could take a few pictures of the two of them. Simon promised her that he would get at least one— and he’s pretty sure Bram’s mother is just as eager for pictures as Simon’s is, so she really has nothing to worry about. 

“I’m coming down now,” Simon announces, and his family lets out a cheer. He rolls his eyes but finally starts the descent down.

“Oh, Simon!” His mom gasps once he’s finally in view, and Simon feels himself start to flush. He hears the click of the camera and a laugh bubbles past his lips and he holds his hand up. 

“Mom,” he whines.

“Oh, honey, come on. Let me get some pictures. You look so fantastic, sweetie.”

And well, Simon can't exactly disagree with her there— as narcissistic as that sounds. He  _ does _ look pretty damn fantastic. The suit he’s in is powder blue— a pretty bold choice, but it works— and it fits him well, hugging all the right places and showing off his assets. (Or as Abby said his  _ ass _ ets.) It had taken him more product and longer than he’d like to admit to get his hair looking the way it does, but he’d done it by himself and he was pretty proud of the end product. He’d also taken his glasses off and had put in his contacts instead. Though he knew Bram enjoyed it when he wore eyeliner and he himself liked the way it made his eyes pop, he politely declined Abby’s mostly joking offer to come over and do it for him. He figured he’d save that for the stage and maybe Halloween.

“You clean up nice, Si,” Nora comments with a cheeky grin, and Simon just rolls his eyes at her. 

When he looks towards his dad, Simon almost laughs when he sees his eyes glistening. “Dad,” he starts, tilting his head to the side.

His dad just laughs wetly and shakes his head, quickly wiping at his eyes. “You look so grown up, Simon,” he says. “You look great. Man, I wish I could’ve pulled off a suit like this when I was in high school.”

Simon laughs and steps towards his dad to pull him into a hug. “Thanks dad. And I bet you would’ve looked just fine in a blue suit,” he replies.

He poses for a few pictures, as per his mom’s orders, but after what seems like the hundredth pose and the millionth click of the camera Simon stops her. “Okay, okay. I’ve got to go, I can’t be late, mom,” he says.

She frowns at Simon and reaches out to cup his cheek. “You better take a picture with Bram for me okay? I can’t believe you’re not bringing him back for pictures.” 

“Mom, I’ve told you a million times, Bram’s mom will probably want some pictures too. She can send you them or something. Don’t worry,” Simon laughs.

“Oh, alright. You look so handsome, Bram’s going to absolutely love it,” she continues on, smiling at Simon. “You two have fun, okay?” 

“We will,” Simon assures and he hugs his mom. 

Then he’s grabbing his keys and sending his family a wave before heading out the front door.

 

At Bram’s house, Simon parks in the driveway and as he walks up to the front door he smooths down his suit and messes a bit with his hair before he rings the doorbell. 

When the door opens a few seconds later, Bram’s mom is on the other side and she greets Simon warmly. “Simon, hi! Oh, don’t you look so handsome in that suit,” she gushes.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Simon responds politely and steps inside when she opens the door for him. 

Bram comes flying down the stairs a moment later. “Mom, is that— oh, Simon!” His face lights up when his eyes land on Simon standing there in his living room. 

Simon’s eyes immediately shoot towards Bram and it feels like all the breath has been punched right out of his lungs. He’s seen Bram looking cute in his everyday clothes at school; he’s seen him in those tiny soccer shorts that show off his amazing soccer calves and the tight jersey to match; he’s even seen him in his pajamas that one time they’s curled together under a blanket and had a Harry Potter movie marathon in Simon’s basement. But Simon was absolutely not prepared to see Bram in a suit. He looks so much better than Simon could have ever imagined. The suit fits so well and molds to every single curve and plane of his body, and Simon’s having a bit of trouble swallowing as his eyes take in every inch of Bram. A smile quirks at Simon’s lips when he notices that Bram’s got on a blue button up shirt underneath the suit jacket— one that matches Simon’s suit exactly. It suddenly makes sense why Leah told him to wear a black button up under his own suit jacket. They match. 

“I’m going to go find my camera— you two can’t leave until I get a picture,” Bram’s mom says and then she disappears down the hall.

Bram hops down the last few steps of the stairs and then he’s striding right into Simon’s space. 

Simon greets him with a kiss and loops his arms around Bram’s waist. “Hello handsome,” he smirks. 

Bram blushes softly at the compliment, but then he’s reaching up to tug at the lapels of Simon’s suit. “You look amazing,” he says, and that wry smile that Simon loves so much curls onto his lips. Then he lifts an eyebrow. “This is a very nice color. Is it supposed to be another nod to the emails?” 

Simon laughs and shakes his head. “Actually, I tried it on as a joke originally, but I kind of ended up really liking it, so I decided to go with it. Plus Leah said it brings out my eyes,” he answers, then dramatically widens his eyes and tips his chin up so Bram can see.

Bram chuckles softly and reaches up to touch Simon’s cheek, right below his eyes. “You’re wearing contacts,” he comments. “I like it. I can see your beautiful eyes better.” 

“My moon grey eyes?” Simon teases, squeezing Bram’s hip. “Those ones?”

Bram rolls his eyes and his cheeks take on a slightly pink hue.

“Do you like what I’ve done with my perpetual bedhead too? I brushed it and put a little product in it and everything. Now it’s just artfully styled bedhead instead of actual bedhead,” Simon jokes. 

“Oh my god, you’re ridiculous,” Bram shakes his head. 

Before either one of them can say anything else, Bram’s mom returns to the room, camera in hand. “Picture time!”

 

Taking photos with Bram’s mom takes a significantly shorter time than it did with Simon’s mom, and within no time they’re in Simon’s car on their way to the dance. 

When they arrive, Simon finds a spot close to the front of the parking lot. Simon exists the car quickly and walks around to the other side so he can open the door for Bram.

“My gentleman,” Bram teases as he steps out of the car. Then he’s taking Simon’s hand in his own and the two of them make their way towards the school gym.

It’s dark in the gym, but Simon can make out two balloon arches on either side of the dj booth that’s set up on the far end of the gym. There’s a disco ball suspended from the center and surrounding it are crisscrossing banners of green and yellow flags. Around the perimeter of the gym there are tables set up with alternating green and yellow tablecloths and most of them are full of students taking a break from dancing or just plain avoiding it at all costs. 

Simon half expects to find their friends at one of the tables because he knows how much Leah hates to dance and he knows she would somehow convince everyone else to sit out with her— at least for a little bit. But as Simon scans the tables he doesn’t see Leah or Garrett or Abby or Nick. 

It isn’t until Bram nudges him and points into the sea of people on the makeshift dance floor that Simon spots their friends. Abby and Nick are tearing it up, of course. That doesn’t surprise Simon. What does surprise him, however, is the sight of Leah actually, willingly dancing— and it’s not her usual barely moving shoulder shaking. She’s not letting loose to the music like Abby is, but for Leah it’s close enough. She’s actually moving her body along to the music and she looks like she’s genuinely enjoying herself as she throws her head back and laughs at something Garrett said to her. 

She had been completely caught off guard when Garrett had asked her to homecoming, but she’d been completely ecstatic too. It hadn’t been anything big and over the top, just a cute handmade poster he’d presented to her at lunch one day. She’d flushed a deep tomato red but couldn’t stop smiling the entire time and she said yes practically right away.

“You up for a bit of dancing?” Simon asks, lifting his eyebrow at Bram. 

Bram flashes Simon a grin and nods. “Absolutely.” 

And then Simon’s pulling Bram towards the dance floor in the direction of their friends. 

“Simon! Bram!” Abby calls when she spots the two of them. She throws her arms around their necks and pulls them into a hug, which they return easily. 

“Hey, Abby,” Simon greets happily. “Look at you! You look amazing, wow,” he compliments, taking in the champagne red dress she’s wearing. It’s simple— just a slightly deeper than normal v-shaped neckline and a poofy skirt— but it’s still beautiful and Abby looks amazing in it. 

She waves her hand around, a flattered expression crossing her face. “Look at me?” Abby repeats and scoffs. “No, look at  _ you _ ! Damn, Si! Leah told me you looked great but she didn’t say it would be  _ this _ great! Blue is definitely your color.”

“Blue is his everything,” Bram chimes in teasingly, squeezing Simon’s hand.

Simon rolls his eyes at his boyfriend. “Shut up,” he mutters, but leans into Bram’s space. 

Nick sidles up to Abby a second later and he greets Simon and Bram with fist bumps and the like. And then Leah and Garrett notice that Simon and Bram have shown up and join the little circle they’ve formed on the dance floor.

“Greenfeld!” Garrett exclaims, pulling Bram into one of those bro hugs. “You clean up well, bro,” he compliments. “You too, Spier. You guys look great.” 

“I could say the same to you, Laughlin,” Bram replies happily. And he’s not wrong. Garrett’s usual basketball shorts and sports jacket wardrobe is completely gone— instead replaced with a sleek black tux that he finished off nicely with a forest green bow tie that matches the dress Leah’s wearing. His hair is slicked back off his forehead, but it doesn’t look douchey. It works well for him, and Simon’s truly impressed.

When Leah sees Simon and Bram her face melts into a soft expression and she smiles instantly. “Oh my god, you two look so good!” She exclaims. “I’m glad you decided to listen to me and wear the black shirt, Si. I told you to trust me,” she teases.

“Thanks, Leah. I’m glad I did trust you. I’ll tell my mom to thank you when she sees the pictures we took together,” Simon laughs. “You look beautiful, Leah. This color looks great on you,” he adds. 

Leah blushes and ducks her head. “Thanks, Si,” she replies, her fingers burying themselves into the dark green tulle at her sides. Her dress is scoop necked and short-sleeved with several dozen rhinestones decorating the top half, and Simon can tell that she absolutely loves it. 

“So, Simon and Bram are here now,” Abby speaks up, grinning brightly. “Time to really start the party!” And then she’s grabbing onto Nick’s arm and dragging him back onto the dance floor, everyone else following them. 

 

Later in the evening, Simon finds himself on the dance floor again, but this time in Bram’s arms as a slowed down version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” plays through the speakers. Bram’s arms are around Simon’s waist and Simon has his arms around Bram’s neck. They’re just kind of swaying along to the song and Simon feels so content and happy like this. 

It’s the first and only homecoming Simon has ever been to, and as Simon and Bram dance together right there in the middle of the dance floor, he can’t help but think that even if he had gone to the other dances, there’s no way any of them could have come close to topping this one.

“Hey,” Simon says quietly, looking up at Bram. 

Bram smiles down at him, his eyes soft and warm. “Hey,” he responds, the corner of his lips quirking up. 

“Thanks for coming with me to homecoming,” Simon says. “I’ve had such a great night.”

“I’ve had such a great night too,” Bram agrees. “Thank  _ you _ for asking me to come with you.”

They fall into another comfortable silence that last for a few minutes before Bram breaks it. 

“Hey, Simon?” He asks, and Simon lifts his eyebrows at Bram, showing him that he has his attention. “I love you,” he says softly, his lips curving into a gentle smile after the words fall from his lips. 

Simon has to bite down on his lip to control his own smile and he can do nothing to stop the burst of warmth that suddenly seeps through his bones and settles deep in his heart. Not that he wants to ever stop that feeling. He shifts closer to Bram and presses his forehead again Bram’s.

“I love you,” Simon echoes, and he feels the way Bram’s grip on him tightens. Simon can see the love and adoration sparkling in Bram’s eyes and he wants to kiss that beautiful smile right off of his face. 

Before he can though, Bram starts to speak again. “What, you’re not going to thank me and text your mom to pick you up?” He teases good-naturedly, his grin turning into that wry smirk of his Simon loves so much. 

“Oh my god. No  _ way _ ,” he laughs and shakes his head. “But I do think I’m going to kiss you instead,” Simon says, pulling his head back so he can look into Bram’s eyes. 

“So kiss me then,” Bram responds.

So Simon does.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought with a kudos or a comment! 
> 
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> Come say [hi](http://evensdramaticshenanigans.tumblr.com/)! :)


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